Sepitus stood over Cole, a smile on his face. He was clearly amused.

"When I get free from your hold. I'm going to get rid of you!" Kai raged as he stared at his friend on the floor.

"A little aggressive aren't we?" Sepitus said as he put his hands together.

"Don't worry. In good time you'll be with your friend. I assure you Mr. Smith."

"How do you even know our names!?" Kai questioned.

A smile still on his face, Sepitus went up to Kai, released his grip and allowed him to fall back to the ground.

"You looked like it, and now you just revealed to me that they were, in fact, your surnames," Sepitus retorted.

Kai looked up at him.

"I'm gonna wipe that grin off your face!"

Kai threw himself forward, essentially preparing to throw a punch at his enemy's face. He was eruptedly stopped by a hand coming straight as his neck. Kai dangled from the unseen figure in front of him, untill he looked at who it was.

"Cole?" Kai choked out.

"Ah ah ah, I'm afraid you've mistaken him Mr. Smith. Such a pitty. Your friend here, well. He goes by the name of Roalder now," Sepitus advised skeptically.

Kai tried to find the words to say, but Cole's grip was tight on his throat.

"What- did you do- to," he managed to croak.

"As I've said previously, he is somewhat connected now," replied Sepitus.

"As will you, Mr. Smith."

Kai tried to loosen his friend's grip but only to fail. Sepitus looked over at Cole and motioned his head towards Kai, in a directing matter.

"Do it," he instructed.

Kai looked at his friend's pitch black eyes, almost urging him not to comply with their now known enemy. Cole had a sinister smile on his face, not something Kai would ever think of seeing on him. He watched as Cole raised his hand and placed it on top of Kai's chest. Almost immediately, he felt a sense of rage, doubt, and negativity. It's something Kai has felt before, when he was holding the staff of elements. But it was a hundred times stronger than before, almost as if it were coming from someone else. Kai's vision became somewhat cloudy, and he felt stronger in a way, it was spreading through his body. This sensation, this feeling, almost as if he were connected to something. Someone.

Nya was woken up by the sound of birds and Jay struggling to take down the tent without making noise, which he was unsuccessful.

"Oh, morning Nya!" Jay said cheerfully.

Nya sat up and turned to Jay who was now walking over to her.

"Morning," she replied.

"Any news from the rest?"

Jay sat down next to her and fiddled with a leaf he was holding.

"Lloyd said that he and Zane we're gonna look around for Cole and Kai," he answered.

Nya looked up immediately.

"We should follow them! Did they say where they were going exactly?" she asked.

"No, they just said they would look in the middle of the forest since that's where they were last seen," Jay replied.

Nya got up, pulling Jay up with her by his arm.

"Common, we got some searching to do," Nya said determined.

Lloyd watched as Zane hacked through the tree branches one by one. They've been looking since the sun had risen, but they haven't gotten a single clue as to where their friends were.

"You see anything there Zane?" Lloyd asked.

"Nothing within sight's reach," responded Zane.

He sighed as he said that, clearly as unhappy as Lloyd was.

"We'll find them Lloyd, don't worry."

"I know that. I just want to find them knowing nothing bad happened," Lloyd responded gloomily.

Kai sat there on his knees, hands on the ground, breathing deeply as he somewhat embraced this new feeling.

"How do you feel, Mr. Smith," asked Sepitus.

Kai didn't know how to respond, he was lost in a world of weirdly familiar feelings.

"He doesn't know the words, Sepitus. Maybe I can help," Roalder answered for him, but in a raspy voice.

Sepitus didn't move much, only the slight nodding of his head allowed Roalder to kneel besides Kai.

"He isn't resisting much; this new sensation you've given us."

Sepitus had a smile across his face, a sinister one.

"Good. Stand up Mr. Smith," he instructed.

Kai did as he was told, complied with his former enemy.

"Hm. Smith doesn't fit you does it?"

Shaking his head, Kai found it weirdly amusing to be standing in front of this man that had betrayed him and feeling like he trusts him again.

"Flame? No, too basic. Torch? No, that's way below our league. Ah, Flaer. Yes that suits you very much. Don't you agree?" suggested Sepitus.

Kai formed a crooked smile as he nodded his head in agreement.

"Of course I like it. It matches my personality," he responded raspily.

He immediately was surprised to hear his voice differently, putting his hand to his throat, scratching it a bit. Sepitus chuckled.

"Ah yes, I suppose you'll both have to get used to your new voices," he retorted.

"For now, I want you both to go back to your so-called team. Show them that you are alive and well, but that you've discovered something of interest."

The now taken-over duo nodded their heads, prepared to do as they were told.

"Bring them here, and when I show myself, act as if you had no idea I was here," he instructed eerily.

Sepitus raised his hand and revealed the opening of the cave.

"Go, and be sure to alter your voices, and looks. They must not know about you," he said lastly before the duo went out of the cave.